CARLSBAD – Only a mother could understand what her son, unable to speak or communicate his thoughts, was thinking at the time.

As NBA star Dikembe Mutombo leaned toward Mitchell Thorp, his mom knew her boy was doing his best to focus his dizzy and spinning vision on Mutombo's size 22 shoes.

“I knew he was looking at (Mutombo's) feet,” Beth Thorp said. “I had to say that to get a rise out of him.”

During Mutombo's visit with Mitchell at the Thorps' Carlsbad home last weekend, the 7-foot-2 center for the Houston Rockets told Beth he was surprised to see a smile on the face of a mother who has confronted so much adversity.

“You know where that strength comes from,” Beth Thorp said.

Mutombo nodded.

“I know your family has very strong beliefs,” he said.

The Thorp family then presented Mutombo a Mitchell Thorp Foundation cap and visor with Mitchell's favorite Bible verse inscribed under the bill – “Joshua 1.9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

Nodding his head, Mutombo said in his resonant voice, “Powerful.”

In April 2005, before Mitchell lost his ability to speak, his parents gave him a new puppy, which he named Joshua after the Bible verse.

For two years, Mitchell, 15, has suffered from a mysterious ailment. An active baseball player from age 5, Mitchell began getting headaches that worsened to the point where doctors kept him sedated to avoid the pain. Three times the Thorps admitted their son to the hospital for tests, but there were no answers. Doctors were baffled and Mitchell wasn't getting better.

Late last summer, the Thorps asked Dr. Jim Murphy, an osteopath, to treat Mitchell at home. Finally, the family received some answers and felt some hope.

According to The Mitchell Thorp Foundation Web site, Murphy diagnosed “heavy metal toxicity coupled with a viral infection, which affects the central nervous system.” Once nutritionist Kim Schuette set about changing Mitchell's diet and surroundings to organic foods and materials, the family saw quick improvement in Mitchell's condition.

After caretakers complete their efforts to rid Mitchell of the metals his body has been unable to process, his family hopes he will make a complete recovery. But no one can say how long that might take.

Although the pain has subsided and Mitchell was finally able to open his eyes a few weeks ago, he's not yet able to walk or talk. Schuette said he is aware of what is going on around him.

Mutombo learned about Mitchell's plight while visiting Pomerado Hospital last week. The native of the Democratic Republic of the Congo has partnered with Palomar Pomerado Health to build a $30 million hospital in the Congo's capital city Kinshasa.

Named one of the most generous athletes in a Foxsports.com article earlier this year, Mutombo lived up to his reputation, donating $5,000 to the Mitchell Thorp Foundation.

“It's a blessing people can help us,” Beth said. “We're able to stay where we are and focus on the healing rather than the stress of the finances. Otherwise we'd be selling the house.”

Part of the mission of the foundation is to develop a Web site for families going through similar ordeals.

“We were so mystified,” said Beth Thorp, who quit her job to be a full-time caretaker for Mitchell. “We had to do so much research on our own. The goal through the Web site is to help other families cut to the chase.”

Beth said Mutombo, who turned 40 on Wednesday, brought joy to her ailing son and his younger brother, Matthew. Mutombo signed a basketball and dunked another basketball into a net on the family's backyard court.

One friend who shared the moment with the Thorps told Mitchell's father, Brad, who played minor league baseball in the Dodgers organization, that Mitchell may decide to play basketball instead of baseball once he's recovered.